2020 Rover will be capturing sound
on Mars for the first time ever. The
vehicle will be outfitted with a selection of equipment from DPA Microphones, allowing it to capture
audio as it descends through the
Martian atmosphere and lands on
the Red Planet’s surface.

DPA's d:dicate 4006 Omnidirectional Microphone will capture
the high-quality audio while the
MMA-A Digital Audio Interface
will be used to record and send
audio to a computer through its
USB connection. Both mics will be
paired with MMP-G Modular Active
Cables, which act as ultra-trans-parent preamplifiers. The Mars

2020 spacecraft is currently being
assembled at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena,
California and the DPA products
will be installed onto the vehicle in
early 2019.

DPA won the contract from
JPL based on its ability to deliver
industry-standard communication
interfaces and its products’ ability
to perform under demanding environments. DPA microphones can
withstand the extreme conditions
associated with space travel, leave
a small footprint, and connect to
a computer with a USB interface.

"These products will be in space indefinitely, which is a testament to
DPA's quality and resiliency," says
René Mørch, product manager at

Free Solo 360° is an immersive short film created in
tandem with the critically acclaimed feature documentary Free Solo, which captures the experience of
climber Alex Honnold as he prepares to achieve his
lifelong dream: conquering the 3,200-foot face of
El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Honnold completed the climb untethered and without any safety
equipment, a feat requiring years of strenuous
training, careful planning, and unwavering physical
and mental endurance.

Currently available on National Geographic’s
YouTube channel, Free Solo 360° re-creates Honnold’s record-breaking climb. Virtually standing in
his place, viewers are transported to Yosemite as
they ascend the granite monolith, feeling the magnitude of the rock’s size as well as the anticipation,
fear, and accomplishment of every step.

Director Jimmy Chin and DP Justin Bastienspent several days securing tripods and placingcameras on El Capitan’s sheer granite face, andthey relied on Framestore’s modular expedition rigto capture a 360° perspective. “It can be tricky intraditional filmmaking to portray a good sense ofscale and context, but it’s all there in the 360° foot-age,” says Framestore’s executive creative directorAron Hjartarson. “You are transported thousands offeet above the ground, hanging out with Alex as heweaves his way upwards, with the beauty of Yosem-ite National Park spread out below and reaching tothe horizon. It was also a great project to play withthe emergent art of 360° cinematography, usingcamera moves to add drama to the piece and leadthe point of interest around the environment.”DPA Microphones. "We are honoredto be a part of this mission."

The trip to Mars is expected
to take seven months and will
subject the Rover to extreme temperatures (environments could be
-100 degrees Celsius/-148 degrees Fahrenheit), travel pressure
both in and out of the atmosphere,
and intense vibrations associated
with rocket travel. The spacecraft
design team has created a specialized enclosure to mount the
MMA-A interface inside the rover
chassis, and in cooperation with
JPL/NASA, the DPA R&D team created a custom MMP-G amplifier
housing to bolt onto the exterior
of the Rover. The microphone will
allow the public as well as project
engineers and scientists to hear
sounds as the Rover descends to
the surface of Mars.

Capturing both audio and
video of the spacecraft’s descent
to the Martian surface will provide
a new experience. After the Rover
has landed safely on the surface
of Mars, the Rover’s computer will
gather the stored MMA-A audio
data and the video imagery from
the entry, descent, and landing
cameras to educate and entertain
audiences everywhere. Although
the audio and video data is not
mission critical, it should prove to
be very informative to engineers
and scientists.